Water Damage Emergency Tips: What to Do Before a Flood Strike
Every homeowner should be diligent in preparing their homes upon learning about news on the imminent flooding. Making the necessary preparation will mitigate the damage on your home. When you come back after the flood, it will also be easier for you to clean up the house. The following are a few things to do before a flood strike.
1. Keep Your Important Documents in Safe Places
Firstly, you should look up for your important documents, and supplies and put them in a plastic zip bags. If you have important files on the computer, you can backup them on a USB drive. If you have a pet, you will need to prepare at least 72 hours of food supplies. You can also keep photocopies of your pet related paperwork in the bag.
2. Have an Evacuation Plan
You need to have a plan on how you can exit the house safely when it is being flooded and where to go to get shelter. You and your family should practice on the route that has been planned so that there won’t be any difficulty in evacuating the place. You can ask around to find out the nearest evacuation centers in the neighborhood. If there is no evacuation center, you and your friends can find a place that is safe to go.
3. Catalogue Your Belongings
You can catalogue your belongings to make it easy to claim insurance afterwards. You will need to file for insurance claim if you want the water damage restoration company to do the cleanup and restoration work in your house. You should catalogue everything including shampoo, soap, and etc. For each item, try to put a price next to it. If possible, you should take photos or make a video of all the rooms with the items in them. If you have the receipts, you should also take picture of them. If you take a video, it can be uploaded to a cloud. Some insurance companies provide apps for you to document your belongings.
4. Make Sure You Have Enough Flood Coverage
You must check whether your policy covers water damage. Many homeowners insurance policies do not include coverage for flood damage. You can sign up with the National Flood Insurance to get coverage on the flood damage. The policy only become valid 30 days after you have purchased it. The flood insurance policy provided by the National Flood Insurance covers almost everything including electrical and plumbing systems, appliances, carpet treatments, wall cabinets and detached garage. It does not cover damages that could have been avoided for example, mold and mildew, properties outside of the insured house, and additional living expenses.
5. Install Non Return Valve
You can install non return valve to protect against sewage backup when the flood hits. The valve is installed by pushing into the pipe that leads to the inspection chamber. The valve will only open at the pressure of a toilet flush. When flood happens, it will remain closed to prevent back flow.
